Mega Man Zero Link Between Humans and Reploids
by Plushie Master Marth
Summary: Heart and soul, the two halves of the human existance. Do reploids hold the same things? Love and war can tear many apart, conflicts abound. Who will be happy? Who will be left all alone? Discontinued...
1. Darkness in the Recesses of the Heart

Mega Man Zero  
The Link Between Reploids and Humans

* * *

Chapter One  
Darkness in the Recesses of the Heart

* * *

The wounds on his body, they were always a reminder to his pain. He fought millions alone, with only his weapons and skills to back him up. He was feared by many, and looked up to by many more. He was, quite simply, a hero in his own merit. His body was cut up many times, repaired constantly. His dark blue eyes held a mysterious, dark past behind them.

The ultimate reploid… The one they call Zero. His presence has caused the fall of his enemies time and time again…But no matter how hard he fought, he needed a purpose for his battles… Sealed away for so many years, he had lost everything he had before. His partner in battle, X, died sealing away the Dark Elf, who had caused the elf wars years back…he had beaten back the forces of Neo Arcadia and destroyed the evil Copy X.

For a time after, he had decided to break up with the Resistance Army to find his own path in life… He had lost all real motivation to fight, however…there was always something holding deep in his heart… He wandered aimlessly for a year, fighting off Neo Arcadia all the time as he went, though feeling no real care for it…something just seemed missing. One fateful day he collapsed in the desert after an extreme battle with Neo Arcadia's forces, left simply to the elements after a long year of fighting without rest.

He came to in the resistance base, finding old and new faces from his past. Once again he had a reason to fight, with the Resistance, newly led by Commander Elpizo, formerly a part of Neo Arcadia. Elpizo started a premature assault on Neo Arcadia, his forces being decimated. In this defeat, he found he needed more power…the power of the Dark Elf. Elpizo eventually broke the seal of the Dark Elf by destroying X's body, which had been holding back its power. Elpizo used its power to become much more powerful. In a fierce battle, Zero managed to defeat Elpizo, though the Dark Elf got away…

A few months later, a new discovery was made: The large reploid, Omega, and Dr. Weil. They were after the Dark Elf, for their own purposes…and even brought the former master of Neo Arcadia, Copy X, back from the grave. There was so much Zero didn't know, he was lost to it all…but he continued to battle, finally coming face to face to Omega. His power was so great, yet Zero knew it from somewhere…After the battle, Zero was left to contemplate everything…and this is where our story truly starts.

* * *

Zero laid back in his chambers, staring at the ceiling. He felt so confused by it all…he could usually act cool in front of everyone else, but on the inside he was worried. He didn't know who he was…if Omega was truly the "original" Zero…then what was he, really? Just a copy? Just like that damn Copy X, who stole his best friend's identity. Zero shook his head in frustration.

Just then, the door slid open with its usual mechanical 'whirr,' as Ciel walked into his room. "Zero?" Zero sat up, looking to the human woman as she spoke, "Are you alright? You've been kind of distracted lately." Zero shrugged. "Don't worry about me, Ciel. Have there been any news about Neo Arcadia?" Ciel shook her head, as Zero sighed, "Damn. I need something to do…"

As if on cue, the alert started to blare from the speakers. "Ciel! Zero! Come to the briefing room, now! We've got a situation!" Zero jumped off of the bed, grabbing up his trusty weapons from a table, running off to the briefing room, Ciel following faithfully behind him.

As they ran in, a soldier saluted them, and then pointed up to the screen. The operators then spoke, "There is a wide disturbance near our base…But, strangely, it isn't from Neo Arcadia's forces…Zero, can you investigate the area with Ciel?" Zero nodded slightly, looking to Ciel, saying, "I'll keep her out of trouble." Ciel smiled back at the blonde haired reploid. "I'll be careful." Ciel and Zero both stepped onto the transfer pad, as the operators started typing in coordinates. The warning alarm then blared, as the other civilian reploids stepped away from the pad.

"Transfer!"

Both of their figures faded into light, as they were sent to the programmed location. As they materialized, Zero looked around. Multiple slain reploids were laying on the ground, with multiple saber wounds, as well as some shot wounds. "If this wasn't Neo Arcadia, there's only one other possibility…" Zero trailed off, as Ciel finished, "…Weil." Zero pulled the Z-Saber from a compartment at his side, glancing around.

Some defense turrets were in flame, as the dark grey clouds overhead made it look like nighttime. Ciel held behind Zero, scared of what might come out from the shadows. Zero looked back at the girl, feeling a strong attachment to her, besides the need to protect her. Zero smiled slightly, speaking in a soft tone to her, "I'll protect you, Ciel…don't worry."

She was surprised, to say the least. Her eyes stared at Zero, feeling strangely happy at his words, never having heard him speak so warmly to anyone before. Zero's gaze then hardened, as he looked into the flames, grapping her. Zero leapt away quickly, holding the girl, as a large energy shot went by the spot they once occupied, scorching the ground.

A familiar silhouette was seen through the flames, a dark blue glow emanating from the figure's head, showing a powerful dark energy. Zero's eyes were wide, as he guarded Ciel carefully. A laugh was heard through the flames, as the figure slowly walked forward. Zero was visibly shaken, as he continued to stay on guard between Ciel and the figure.

Omega Zero stepped from the flames, his darker colored armor covered in wounds, his hand clenched on his Z-Saber, the left arm's armor scraped away to show the mechanical workings on the inside. The darker version of Zero, the 'True Zero,' spoke in a deep voice, "I missed you, my dear copy…" Zero growled, holding his Z-Saber tight in both hands. "Omega…"


	2. Heavy Losses

Chapter Two  
Heavy Losses

* * *

The darker reploid's lips curled into a grim smirk, as he walked forward, holding the Z-Saber tight at his side. "I'm going to get back at you for defeating me..." Zero looked at Ciel. "Get back! I'll take care of him myself! Operator, transfer her back to base, _now_!" Ciel shook her head, "Zero, no"She was then transferred back to the base as a blur of light. 

Zero jumped down in front of Omega, as the two stood, glaring at one another, hair flowing in the wind. As they stared one another down, rain started to pour on the battlefield. Omega then spoke, "Needed to protect that human woman, I see…It's a disgrace to have you be anything like me." Zero then replied, "I'm not a monster like you, Omega! Even if I am a copy, deep down I am the true Zero."

Omega laughed, "Ha! Don't kid yourself! You're just a copy, that's all you'll amount to!"

"I never needed to borrow the power of Mother Elf to beat you, did I?"

"I don't need that power anymore!" Omega dashed forward, slamming his foot into Zero's face, sending him spinning back into a building, making the wall crumble inward slightly, also forcing him to drop his Z-Saber. "Ugh…You've gotten stronger…" Zero coughed up some energy carrying blood, and then wiped the blood off with his hand.

Zero started to reach for his Z-Saber, but Omega's foot came down, crushing the unit. Zero growled, his dark blue eyes staring at Omega's pure black optics. Smirking, Omega pointed his saber at the downed reploid. "Get up. You're no fun if you don't put up a fight!" Zero shakily got to his feet, and then sent his fist out toward Omega's face.

The dark reploid ducked under the fist, sending his foot out to Zero's legs. He succeeded in tripping the reploid, and then sent his foot to his side while he fell to the ground, sending him flying up into the air. Zero regained his control, then sending his foot out as Omega jumped after. Omega, caught by surprise, was sent plowing into the ground. Zero landed gracefully on a large piece of rubble.

"I may use my weapons mostly, but I also specialize in hand-to-hand!" Zero crossed his arms over his chest. Omega leapt at him, ramming him through a few buildings. Zero yelled out in pain, sliding himself down, flipping Omega over as he did, saying, "I won't be beaten by you, Omega! The body doesn't matter; it's the heart and soul that counts! You'll never learn."

Omega stood up, his damage from all of this repairing itself, the jewel on his helmet shining brightly. "You fool…You think I'm weaker from losing the Dark Elf? You don't even _know_ the extent of my power!" Zero's eyes were wide, as he stepped back slowly. 'What…why can't I damage him?'

Omega suddenly was behind Zero, slamming his foot into the side of the red reploid's head, sending him flying through a series of walls, which all piled on top of his body. Zero burst out, pulling out his energy pistol, firing it rapidly at Omega. The darker reploid leapt over to Zero, pulling his fist back as he dashed through the bullets, deflecting them with his sheer speed, punching Zero's face with the force of a wrecking ball, sending him flying hard into a nearby cliff facing.

Meanwhile, in the Resistance Base, Ciel was watching the fight, tears streaming down her cheeks as she watched Zero getting pummeled, wanting so badly to do something. "I've got to do something…or Zero will…!" Ciel typed furiously at a computer terminal, a small explosion being heard in the lower levels of the base. The explosion caused most to rush to the place where it happened.

Ciel then ran into the control room, typing in for a manual transfer sequence in a hidden computer panel, tying in the coordinates to Zero's location. She then pushed the transfer switch, disappearing in a blur of light.

Zero fell to the ground hard, coughing up blood. His energy systems were in the critical stage, as he could hardly stand. However, the young reploid forced himself up to his feet, blood trickling down from his lips. "Damn it…Omega!" Omega walked up slowly to the young reploid, his eyes filled with hate as he walked, though smirking at his obvious advantage. Omega pulled his pistol forward, gathering immense energy from the air into the barrel. "See you in hell…"

Just then, they both heard a voice call out, as Ciel ran into the battlefield, tears falling from her face. "Please…Leave him alone, Omega!" Zero's eyes stared at the young girl in disbelief. "No, Ciel…Get out of here!" Omega smirked, moving the pistol's barrel to Ciel, aiming at her. "Kill two birds with one stone? Heh!" Zero leapt onto Omega, slamming him into the ground. "I won't let you hurt her!" Zero struggled to hold Omega down, yelling out, "Ciel, you need to get out of here, _now_!" Ciel stared at the reploid, feeling a horrible sinking sensation in her chest. "Zero, no...please Zero, don't do this…I-I'm not worth it…Zero!"

Omega kicked the red reploid into the air, whipping his pistol forward, and pulling the trigger, as a huge blast went toward Zero, slamming into his torso, and sending him flying up higher into the air. As Zero's systems started to fail, he thought to himself, 'Ciel…I'm sorry…' Zero blacked out afterward, slamming hard into the ground a few feet away from Ciel. The young girl instantly ran to Zero's side, falling to her hands and knees next to him.

Omega walked toward the girl, flicking his saber to the on position, a deep green energy blade forming. Omega's lips were curled into a cruel smirk, as he spoke, "There there, woman. Don't look so sad…I'll make it quick, then you can join my useless copy to the grave…Now, don't move." Omega then raised, his blade up above his head, as he swung it toward the woman.

The dark reploid's blade met with two red energy blades, as Harpuia held him back. "Don't you touch that girl, Omega!" Harpuia shoved Omega back, levitating between Ciel and the bloodthirsty reploid. Omega spit to the ground, growling. "All these nuisances interrupting my fun." He was instantly hit to the side by a few large flame shots, as Fefnir jumped down from a pile of rubble, his usual oversized blaster arm aimed at Omega. We're the only ones allowed to take care of them, so beat it!" Leviathan slammed Omega onto his face with the butt of her spear. "If you resist, we won't hold back!"

Omega stood, looking around at the three guardians of Neo Arcadia all assembled against him. "I don't have the patience for you fools. I'll finish you all off later, then!" Omega then warped away from the group in a beam of light. Fefnir roared out at Omega as he left, "Come back, ya coward!" Harpuia then stopped Fefnir, being the voice of reason in the group as always. "Leave him be…we're lucky he decided to leave. We have more important matters to attend to." Harpuia then looked back to Ciel and Zero.

Ciel stared at Zero, tears streaming down her cheeks, wetting the ground beneath her. She seemed not to notice the Neo Arcadian Guardians, as she whispered to herself, "No, this all has to be a dream…this can't be real…Zero, please wake up…please tell me it's all alright…Zero, please…I don't want to lose you from my side…Zero…Zero…" Ciel then cried out loud, "_Zero!_"


	3. Kind Enemy

Chapter Three:  
Kind Enemy

* * *

Ciel stared blankly at a wall in her cell in Neo Arcadia's capital, as though her soul had been drained from her. She showed no emotion whatsoever, completely in shock. Her eyes were dull and void of light, though she was of course breathing. However, she showed none of her usual liveliness. 

Fefnir watched the woman, shaking his head. "This is boring as hell…why am I stuck watching her?" Leviathan then walked up next to Fefnir, rolling her eyes as she spoke, "Remember when you were on guard duty and you sent a huge army after a little innocent _monkey_ robot? And somehow managed to blast your troops to nothing while shooting at said monkey?"

Fefnir blushed in embarrassment, looking away. "That was different! I knew that monkey was hiding something!" Leviathan replied quickly, "Yes, it was. It was hiding a banana. Aren't you proud?" Fefnir then roared at the female reploid, "Shut up! It was a mistake! Anyone could have messed up like that!" Leviathan laughed, "Anyone named Fefnir, anyway!"

* * *

Ciel was absorbed in her own mind, thinking back to her times with Zero, when she first met him, the times he had protected her… All those times, she always found the strength to continue on, knowing Zero was at her side…It all felt so painful to see him sacrifice himself for her like that. Tears started to fall to the ground, as she thought about this over and over in her mind.

* * *

Harpuia looked at his fallen enemy, sighing in annoyance at the unmoving body of Zero. "You let yourself be defeated by Omega, Zero…I thought you were a lot stronger than that. And you left Ciel all alone in this world, too. She was in shock the whole way here, crying like mad every now and then…" Harpuia then let out a loud sigh, this time in more of a depressed fashion than anything else.

He always felt strangely attached to Ciel, even before she was forced out of Neo Arcadia. It was something he could never really explain, himself. He wondered secretly to himself if the reason he fought Zero so much was just to be with her. Harpuia was quick to push aside such thoughts, shaking his head. "Soldiers, we have no use for his remains here…please take him away and discard of him."

Harpuia started to walk off, thinking to himself, 'Zero…I can't believe this happened; you were our greatest challenger, it was always a rush to fight with you...Damn it, Zero!' Harpuia, though he would never admit it, was holding back some tears himself: to him, Zero was almost…a war buddy, so to speak. His body shook with grief and frustration, as he slumped down against a wall in his quarters, turning completely silent.

The soldiers, however, weren't as caring. The automated grunts simply took Zero out, throwing him down a scrap metal chute. They all quickly ran off to celebrate their luck.

* * *

After an hour, Fefnir talked into a communication link in his helmet. "Really, now? Meh, we had no use for it anyway, I guess. Still kind of disappointed that I wasn't the one to do all of this." Fefnir broke the communication, looking to Leviathan. "Well, they finally got rid of Zero. Took 'em long enough." Leviathan seemed disappointed, though for more that one reason. 

Ciel's head immediately shot up, as she heard Fefnir. "No, you didn't get rid of Zero, did you?" Fefnir looked at Ciel. "What do you care?" Ciel pounded at the bars of the cell, tears spilling down her face. "How could you just get rid of him like that! I know you all could have saved him with your reploid technology! So, why!" Fefnir spit to the ground. "'Cuz he's an enemy of Neo Arcadia, and thus a Maverick. So shut up about it, 'cuz he ain't coming back, alright? We're keepin' you here until the rest of the Resistance comes, so we can wipe them all out!"

Ciel's eyes grew wide at Fefnir's words. "N-No! You heartless…" Fefnir smirked, speaking arrogantly, "Eh, stop whining. When it's all over, you'll be free to leave here and do whatever ya want." Ciel couldn't stop the tears coming from her eyes, yelling out in a mix of sorrow and frustration, "You monster! First I lose Zero…and as if that isn't bad enough, you're going to wipe out the resistance…You're such a horrible reploid…this is why I left Neo Arcadia in the first place!"

Fefnir rolled his eyes, laughing. "Master X's wishes will be carried out past the grave!" Ciel broke down into tears, running into a corner of her cell and crying bitterly. Leviathan looked at a clock on the wall. "Come on, Fefnir. It's getting late, and we need to stand the night watch." Fefnir grumbled angrily, walking out of the corridor, followed by Leviathan.

However, a shadowed figure watched the whole scene, silent. It then walked away, to attend to other matters.

* * *

Later that night, Ciel was sitting in a corner of her cell, refusing to sleep or anything else, her knees pressed to her chest. Her clothes were wet with tears, as she stared blankly at a cell wall, completely sapped of her usual strong spirit. Just then, she heard the hum of an energy weapon, as her head darted to a part of the wall, as she thought to herself, 'It can't be…Zero! You're alive!'

The wall was then cut by two energy blades, falling away after a few slashes. Ciel ran to the hole, to get a glimpse at her hero. She stopped dead in her tracks, seeing Harpuia hovering in front of the hole. "Lady Ciel, if you want to escape, please come with me." Ciel glared angrily at the green reploid. "Why should I come with you! You're a Neo Arcadian yourself, Harpuia…You were involved in getting rid of Zero, too!"

"Lady Ciel," Harpuia said, "I know it seems strange, but I feel I _must_ help you at least…Please, even if this was a trick, I believe you would want to take any chance to save some lives…" Harpuia pulled the woman close, eliciting a blush from the girl. "Please, just trust me! I'll try to recover Zero later on, but we must escape while Fefnir and Leviathan aren't watching."

Harpuia then used his hover jets to fly as fast as he could away from the Neo Arcadian base, hearing alarms going off behind him. "Damn, they've found out already?" Harpuia dodged left and right as long range cannon fire flew at him. Harpuia was finally hit hard in the back, yelling out and skidding into a mountainous region, though holding Ciel tightly in his arms to prevent any harm to her.

Harpuia released the girl after he came to a halt, panting. "Lady Ciel, please, you need to escape…" Ciel stared at Harpuia, amazed that he was doing all of this for her. "Harpuia..." She got up, and then grabbed Harpuia by the legs, pulling him slowly into a dark cave.

Ciel crouched down in the shadows, keeping Harpuia hidden. Harpuia stared at the girl, thinking to himself, 'Why isn't she running away while she can?' Ciel watched some of the Neo Arcadian robots run by, searching the area. After a few hours, Ciel found it was safe, and grabbed up some wood, using a spark from Harpuia's energy blades to make a fire.

Harpuia stared at the woman in the light. "Lady Ciel…why are you doing this?" Ciel was getting to work on Harpuia's back, speaking to the reploid as she worked, "You saved my life…I need to return the favor, at the very least. I suppose Neo Arcadian or Resistance, I care for all reploids…" Harpuia felt a strong feeling about this girl, though didn't say anything, just watching her in awe as the night passed, watching the girl work herself to sleep.

Finally able to move, he sat up, grabbing the cloth that Ciel had placed him on, covering her with it. Harpuia then stood at the cave entrance, making sure to protect Ciel through the night. Like it or not, he was now labeled a Maverick. But…oddly, it seemed…almost worth it.


	4. Time Lost

Chapter Four:  
Time Lost

* * *

Zero's body laid in the scrap heap. Due to the escape of Ciel, aided by an unknown reploid, now labeled as Maverick, the meltdown of scrap metal was delayed. There was nothing to look forward to in the beaten and battered reploid's life. No one would fix him up, his systems were unable to recover on their own…It was over, that's all that one could think. 

The Neo Arcadian base was quite dark at night, especially in the scrap pile, where there were no windows or doors open to let in any light even in the daytime…The last place many reploids ever see. Especially in the night, scrapped machines always feared ending up in this place, it was a signal that their life was over, because once you go in, you never go out…

* * *

A small robot crept into the scrap pit through a trap door, a monkey, searching around through the scrap to find anything interesting. The monkey soon stumbled upon a beaten up reploid, and started inspecting it. It noticed the ancient methods it was created with, and grabbed the reploid up, hopping up and down in excitement, and ran out of the trap door with it.

The robot ran through the jungle area near the base, carrying the battered reploid with it. The robot jumped from tree to tree, somehow able to carry the reploid, which was larger than it, easily in its arms. The robot soon arrived at a shabby old hut, letting out a shrill cry toward the hut, hopping up and down, apparently trying to get some attention.

A creaky old door slowly opened, the hinges mostly covered in rust. An older reploid hobbled out of the hut, with purple-black armor and yellow eyes. The older model reploid growled at the monkey, "What scrap did you bring me this time? Something useful, I hope!" The monkey held up the badly damaged body of Zero to the old one, crying out loudly at him. The old man's helmet produced a magnifying glass in front of his right eye, as he bent over closer to take a look at the ancient reploid.

The old model inspected Zero for a moment, mumbling to himself as he did so. This reploid seemed familiar to him, but the old one couldn't place how. Nonetheless, he dragged the trashed item into his hut, grumbling. The man dropped the ruined machine onto his table, grabbing a tool kit and starting his repairs on the reploid.

* * *

Omega beat me. It was just that simple…Had Ciel been able to get away? So tired…I can't move, I can't see, I can't hear… Is this what death is like? I have nothing to look forward to, no reason to look back… It's so cold, so lonely. I failed in my mission, I couldn't stay alive. I've nothing left except to be tortured for eternity. 

…No! I cannot accept that! I-I have to get up! Ciel, I _will_ protect you! I can't die here! Gah!

* * *

The old reploid watched the jewel on the ancient one's head glow, as though it was trying to regain its energy sources. "Amazing, even with this much damage, its systems are still operational! It seems my search bot actually found a useful thing this time. Hope I can fix this, then."

* * *

Day started to break over the mountain range. Harpuia watched the sun rise, his arms crossed over his chest. The sunlight made his armor seem to glow in the light. He looked back to the young human girl, her soft blonde hair covering her eyes as she slept. Her breathing was slow and peaceful, as though she had no troubles, no worries. 

Harpuia's lips curled into a smile, as he watched the young girl, then got down to one knee, leaning slightly on his arms. He thought to himself, as he stared into the morning sky, his deep green eyes glowing with the sunlight. (I've betrayed Neo Arcadia, I have no life left. The only thing I have left is the knowledge that Lady Ciel is alive, and that I must protect her.)

Ciel sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes as she yawned, her blonde hair in disarray from the previous day. She sniffed at the air, smelling something like food. She stood up, and looked over to the cave entrance, seeing Harpuia, holding some fish above a small fire. Harpuia smiled at Ciel. "Lady Ciel, I believe after not eating for a whole day you might be hungry, so I went out and gota fish."

Ciel blinked. "How did you go out without getting caught by the soldiers?" Harpuia smirked knowingly, explaining to the young girl, "Our soldiers usually don't go on searches early in the morning, since that's when the drones recharge their power cells." Harpuia sighed lightly, crossing his arms over his chest. "I don't think I'll be able to go back there…Not after my actions."

Ciel stared at Harpuia, thinking things over to herself.

_Harpuia protected me, despite the fact that he would be shunned from Neo Arcadia. Is he trying to fool me? He can't really care about me this much, we're on opposite sides, we're enemies! Then why? Why is he protecting me? I just don't get it. Why do I feel so strange about it all…Zero, I wish I was still with you, and you were holding me...Omega, why did he have to hurt you, Zero?_

"Lady Ciel." Ciel was brought out of her thoughts, staring at Harpuia, stuttering, "Y-Yes?" Harpuia held out the fish to Ciel, which he carefully set on a large leaf. "Here, eat," Harpuia smiled, "before it gets cold." Ciel stared, and took the fish, her face flushed somewhat as she started to bite at it, staring at the ground. As Ciel ate, Harpuia thought to himself, (Lady Ciel, I'll stay at your side.)

* * *

The old man grumbled to himself working well through the night. Fixing resistors, repairing circuits, welding armor…It was wearing the old model out! The reploid that he received may be ancient, but it's not too much for him to handle. "Phew," the old one said, sitting back on a stool in his workshop. "This sure is tough work for just one man to do…I just have to infuse its energy systems and it should be good for workin'! Eheheh!" The old model laughed to himself. 

A shrill cry from one of his search bots was heard, as he grumbled. "Bothering me when I work? I'll teach that insolent little 'bot a lesson!" He shoved open the door, stating to yell, "Alright, I'm gonna take you" as he looked up, the old model froze, muttering, "N-No…They found us…" Fefnir was there with a huge group of Neo Arcadian drones, yelling, "I _knew_ the monkey robots were suspicious! They were stealing from the Neo Arcadian scrap pit! With my authority as one of the four guardians of Master X, you're to be terminated, and your projects are to be recycled as scrap!" The old one stared blankly at the force. "It's over…my life is all over! Why did it have to end like this?"

* * *

…  
Activating auto repair system…  
…  
Checking system…  
…  
Complete.  
Energy systems online.  
Starting memory check…  
…  
Complete.  
No damage apparent.  
**!WARNING!**  
Long-term memory files locked!  
Will not affect system performance.  
Systems optimal.  
Starting processes…  
…  
Complete.  
ZERO unit online. 

A glow emanated from the jewel on the front of Zero's helmet, a pale blue. Zero rubbed his head, sitting up. "I'm alive?...but, what about…Ciel!" Zero jumped off the work table, and looked around. He picked up some of his repaired weapons, including his Z-Saber, and put them into a compartment in his leg. Zero walked toward the door, holding his Z-Saber in his hand. Zero kicked open the door, daylight flooding into the room.

Zero stood outside, staring at all the forces, his hair flowing softly in the wind. The old model stared, and spoke, "Wait, you're..." Fefnir then finished the sentence for him, "...Zero!" Zero flicked the energy blade on, as the beam blade formed. He smirked, and spoke simply, "Let's go."


	5. Deadly Shadows

Chapter Five:  
Deadly Shadows

* * *

"Fire, fire!" Fefnir commanded, as a hail of bullets flew out toward the ancient reploid. Zero commanded the older model, "Duck, damn it!" The older reploid complied quickly, as Zero quickly engaged the shield boomerang, deflecting the bullets back. The drones were sent falling back on top of one another, getting caught up in confusion as they started to accidentally shoot one another. 

"No, you idiots, stop it, get up!" Fefnir roared at his troops. "Seems your troops are giving you some trouble, Fefnir! Perhaps I'll help you out!" Zero tossed the boomerang out toward the confused troops. The energy disk sliced through the metallic drones with ease, the drones falling in two from the sudden slicing. Fefnir smirked as Zero caught the energy disk, powering it down and placing it on the armor of his hip afterwards. Fefnir spoke, "I really shouldn't have expected them to be any good against you, Zero."

Zero spoke confidently, "As if you would be either, Fefnir!" Fefnir grinned wildly, holding his blaster arm forward as he spoke, "I've missed our old fights, Zero! I'm gonna take you down this time Zero, so you'd better be ready to die!" Zero rolled his eyes, muttering, "Isn't that what you said last time?" Fefnir growled, "Very funny! Now just stay still!" Fefnir fired his usual fire bullets, as Zero, reacting quickly, dodged away in a series of back flips.

Fefnir growled in annoyance, continuing to fire continuously at the red reploid. "You ain't gettin' away from me!" Fefnir continued to blast through the forest surroundings, soon incinerating the land around him. Fefnir was losing Zero in the smoke and flames of the forest, coughing slightly. "Damn it, where are ya?"

Fefnir looked around him through the smoke, unable to see Zero through the thick curtain of polluted air and flame. Soon enough, the wind kicked in, blowing the smoke around wildly. Fefnir saw a movement in the smoke, and grinned. "You're mine!" Fefnir then shot madly into the smoke, laughing loudly. After around twenty shots, Fefnir stopped firing, looking around. "I've got ya now, Zero." Fefnir walked out through the flames, and saw…a cloak?

Fefnir realized, but it was too late, as he yelled out in pain, electricity coursing through his body. "Grah!" Fefnir fell forward on his face, growling as he stood up. "Damn element weakness!" Fefnir turned around, seeing Zero standing in the fin of flames, his blonde hair flowing proudly in the air, his energy pistol pointed forward as he spoke, "Careless as always, eh Fefnir?" Growling, the flame reploidpulled the trigger to fire at Zero.

_Click_

"What?" Fefnir continued to try and fire, only hearing a "click" each time. "What's wrong with this thing!" Zero tossed up a small metallic piece, humming as he tapped his foot against the ground impatiently. "Well, I guess the spark trigger would help you fire, don't you think?" Fefnir stared in disbelief. "What? How did you?" Zero rolled his eyes, yawning as he tossed the piece into the flames.

Fefnir growled out in rage, "You may have broken my normal blaster, but I've still got my other arm!" Holding up his other arm, energy flared out of his left arm, as the metal changed rapidly into a secondary fire buster unit. Grinning madly, Fefnir whipped his arm forward, clenching the trigger with his finger. "Now you'll see my true flame!" Fefnir fired a constant stream of fireballs toward the red reploid.

In his usual fashion, Zero's leg boosters activated, as he instantly slid out under the flames, dashing right toward Fefnir. With an immense burst of speed, Zero dashed under his blaster arm, and wrenching out his Z-Saber, flipped upward. Zero sliced clear through the middle of Fefnir's armor. The flame reploid staggered back, energy blood flowing out of the large gash in his armor.

Fefnir, surprisingly, laughed, though wearily, "You never fail to amaze me, Zero…You're a worthy opponent!" Fefnir spit up some blood, and then glared toward the old model reploid, snarling, "You're lucky, old one. We'll come back for ya later, so don't expect any mercy from Neo Arcadia next time!" Zero growled, and yelled out, "Wait, tell me where Ciel is, Fefnir!" Fefnir laughed wearily, "Heh, she got away…I don't know, or care for that matter, where she went. We're not gonna bother with her, she's no use to us." With that, Fefnir blurred away, most likely to the Neo Arcadian base.

Zero turned back toward the old model, putting away his weapons. "You alright?" The old model just stared. "You...You're...Zero? I fixed Zero? My god, I'm a hero!" The older model started dancing around, laughing happily. "Haha, this is great!" Zero scratched the back of his helmet, glancing to one of the monkey drones. It shrugged to him, not quite getting him either. The old model then grabbed Zero's hands, shaking them vigorously. "I always wanted to meet you, great Zero! What an honor it is! My, yes! Is there anything this humble old one can do for you?"

Zero said shakily, "Well f-first of all, you c-could st-top shak-king me..." The old model was startled. "Oh. OH! I'm sorry!" He released Zero quickly, as the red reploid cleared his throat, "I want to know if you saw the commotion at the Neo Arcadian base..." The old model blinked. "Hm...Monkey drones, if you saw anything, come and tell me!" Quickly, a drone ran up and started screeching to the old model. Zero sighed inwardly as all the commotion took place.

Soon, the old model spoke up, "It seems that two people escaped from the base before, and headed toward the rocky cliffs." Zero smiled lightly, "Thank you, sir. You've helped me out immensely. Maybe another time you could check out the resistance base." The old model jumped up and cheered. "That would be _wonderful_ sir Zero!" Zero laughed, "Well, I think you should get out of here and live elsewhere, so the drones won't come back for you." The old model nodded. "Indeed! Drones! Help me move out of here!"

As the drones got to work, Zero picked up his cloak, and walked away from the area, to find a better view of his surroundings, wrapping his cloak around his body tight. Zero thought to himself, _Ciel...Please, be safe...

* * *

_

_To Neo Arcadia...

* * *

_Fefnir limped out of the transfer room, falling forward, right into Leviathan's arms. Fefnir laughed exhaustedly, "Ha, ha, Zero beat me again…I'll get him next time!" Fefnir then passed out, as Leviathan sighed, placing him on a medical stretcher, drones dragging him away to the repair room. The female reploid let out a deep sigh of frustration. "Zero, you always show up to stop us…Why don't I hate you? Why! You've ruined everything we've tried to do every time, so why is it so confusing?" 

Leviathan walked through the halls, her ocean blue armor reflecting slips of light as she walked; her head hung low in thought. _Zero,_ she thought, _how do you always manage to defeat me? Where is master Harpuia during all this! He disappeared the night Ciel escaped…damn drones couldn't see the intruder…Zero, damn you, it's probably all your fault!

* * *

_

_Back with Ciel and Harpuia...

* * *

_Harpuia watched from up high on the cliffs, scanning for any more drones, though really thinking to himself about things. _I can't return to Neo Arcadia now, after what I did… I only have Lady Ciel to stay at my side…No other allies at my side, what can I do? Am I a maverick for my actions? Damn it, I can't think like this!_ The former guardian of Neo Arcadia sighed heavily, shaking his head as he muttered, "I need a break..." 

Harpuia jumped down to the ground, sighing lightly. "Harpuia…" a voice said behind him, startling him. With lightning fast speed, Harpuia whipped around, energy blades at ready. Ciel stood there, her face registering no surprise. Harpuia blinked, tilting his head as he flicked off the energy blades. "Usually people are scared half to death by that." Ciel smirked barely, and said, "Well, living around Zero, you get used to reactions like that." She laughed half-heartedly, and then stared at the ground silently.

Harpuia noticed her look, tilting his head as he whispered, "Lady Ciel?" Ciel looked up at Harpuia, tears in her eyes. "Harpuia…I-I'm sorry…I just…I just want him…Zero…I want him close…To tell me it's all okay, protecting me...but, he's…" Ciel leaned up against Harpuia, crying.

Harpuia stared at the girl for a moment, then muttered, "Lady Ciel…I'm sorry…" Ciel continued to cry wordlessly. For a moment, Harpuia stayed silent. Then, held Ciel in a tight embrace, his face shaded in the darkness of the cave, Harpuia muttered, "I'll protect you then," Ciel stared up at him, as he continued, "even if I'm not Zero, I can protect you."

* * *

_Elsewhere...

* * *

_Zero stood on a rocky ledge, overlooking the world in the front of him. His long blonde hair whipped freely in the wind as he stared over the scenery in front of him, as he spoke quietly to himself, "Ciel, I will find you." He closed his eyes, and added, "I always will…" 


	6. The Past: Part One

Chapter Six  
The Past – Part One

* * *

Zero walked through the deserted wasteland, his cloak held over his mouth for protection against the dust of the desert. His cloak whipped around slowly with the wind, leaving footsteps deep in the sand with each step. His hair was saturated with sand, whipping wildly with the wind's soft nudging. He kept thinking back to the time when he was separated from the Resistance Forces. That whole year…he hated to think of how it had happened…

Back, a month before he arrived back with the Resistance…What really happened back then?

* * *

Zero walked slowly through the desert, covering his face with his arm with each step. Hair flowing wildly behind him, he tried to squint through the sand that was blowing at him. His body was badly damaged as of late, from months of battle, non-stop. He couldn't stop cycling everything through his mind. 

All the enemies he had left dead behind him, the miles he had traveled… Everything he had been unable to do and see…He missed the people of the Resistance, those he had to leave behind. He led the Neo Arcadian troops away from them…If only he had been able to find them again…

There was nothing to really fight for, he was alone after all. He had to face it and show no fear, no regrets. He was always able to function fine alone, he needed no one else. They would just cause problems for him…however…

There was one person that he wanted to see so much…The one person that seemed to make it all worth fighting for…

Ciel…

Suddenly, the loud sound of metal clashing onto metal was heard, as Zero yelled out in surprise and pain, collapsing to one knee as blood shot from the new wound in his arm. The sand which lay under him started to stain red with his blood, as he glanced back. Ten Neo Arcadian drones stood there, the one in the front of the group had its arm held forward, the cannon on it smoking from its previous shot. Zero held his left hand over his right, clenching his teeth as he spoke, "Damn…" Zero stood, reaching slowly for his Z-Saber.

Before he could grab it, he started to feel light-headed. He slumped down in the sand, too tired to move. _This is…the end…_ were his thoughts as he blacked out, the last thing he could see was the group of drones advancing toward him. Then all went to darkness…

_Am I going to die?_

"Hm…Just a little more…"

_Is this truly the end?_

"There, all fixed!"

_Will I ever…see her again?_

"…He's not moving."

_Ciel…_

"He just needs a jump start, I bet! I'll get 'im up!"

_I'm sorry…_

CLANG

"Ow!" Zero sat up instantly, rubbing his head.

"Told you that would wake him up!" A tall mechanic reploid laughed heartily, throwing a wrench over his shoulder and into a tool box. Zero took a moment to glance around at his surroundings. He was on a large repair table, of course. There were approximately five mechanics around him, who seemed to be quite worn out. From fighting possibly?

Zero stayed silent for a moment, then spoke up, "Where am I?" A shorter, though well-built mechanic stepped from the group, speaking out in a deep voice, "You're in our battleground. We've been fighting for months against the Neo Arcadian branch in this area…We're running out of supplies, really. I don't think we can last much longer at this rate."

Zero sighed lightly, and spoke to himself, "More with Neo Arcadia. Even after I finished X off, it still continues…" The mechanics instantly were looking straight at Zero. A female mechanic spoke in disbelief, "Finished off X? My god…Don't tell me that you're the legendary reploid Zero?" Zero glanced to the woman, and nodded. The smaller mechanic then spoke up. "I can't believe it! The reploid we found in the desert was Zero! We're saved after all!"

Zero glanced down toward the man, then shook his head. "No. I'm sorry, but this isn't my fight anymore…I'm just a wanderer now, I don't want anything to do with your battles." Zero swung his legs off to the side of the table and hopped down. The ragged tent, a makeshift laboratory for reploid repairs, had quite a lot of old equipment built up. Zero walked away slowly, happening to grab his badly weathered weapons from a table. Pushing aside the entrance flap, Zero exited the tent.

Glancing around, he saw twenty or so more tents, fairly small for a war operation. Zero walked through the makeshift base, noticing all the under-armed reploids around him. The women and children were even in battle gear, as it was apparent that they were strained for fighters. Sighing, Zero shook his head as he walked out into the harsh desert storm that was building. He covered his face as best he could with his right arm, struggling against the sand with each step, the base behind him disappearing further and further away.

* * *

Zero was abruptly jarred from his thoughts, seeing something lying in the sand. Kneeling down, he dusted the sand away and picked the object up. His eyes widened, recognizing the object almost instantly. "This belonged to her…Kiri..." He held a small hair barrette in his hand, clenching his hand lightly around it as he thought back to his past once more.

* * *

"Aiiah!" 

The young reploid girl fell to the ground, her cloak singed at the bottom by an energy bullet. Barrette falling from her hair as she hit the ground, the girl flinched in pain from the sudden impact. She held a small cage close to her chest to keep it from getting damaged. She stumbled to her feet, growling as she tried to run once more. Her foot, however, was caught by a robotic wire that burst from the sand, clenching around her leg. She clawed at the thick wire, trying to get it off of her. "Come on, come on!" She looked back to her pursuers, thirty or so Neo Arcadian drones after her, with a few golem types in the mix. A golem from the back moved to the front, and stopped a few feet away from her. The golem charged for an instant, then fired a high powered laser across the ground toward her. She screamed out, curling up into a ball around the small cage as the laser went toward her.

"Grah!"

The wire was severed in a blur, the girl being pulled out of the way of the laser just as it passed. Zero set the girl down, his turning harsh toward the minor force. Zero ran toward the golem first, pulling his saber to his side. The golem, in self defense, fired another laser blast toward Zero. Leaping to the side gracefully, Zero then shot toward the golem upon landing. Swinging out the Z-Saber, he sliced through its main circuits as he flew by. The golem fell in two into the sand, before exploding from the sudden damage.

Without missing a beat, Zero stabbed into the head of one of the drones, swinging his saber out with the drone stuck onto it and sending it flying off of the blade and onto the group. The drones then started to fire madly upon him, and in reaction he jumped out onto one's head. Using his weight to flip the drone, Zero held it up in front of him as a shield.

Then, pulling out the energy pistol he always kept, Zero fired shots out toward the drones. Hitting them dead on in the head for each, most of the drones were forced to cease function. Zero then tossed the drone he used as a shield out toward one of the golems. Activating its self defense program, the golem shot into the lifeless robot, causing it to explode fiercely. Zero flew through the explosion, slicing straight through the middle of the golem unit. Before it exploded, Zero kicked it into the remaining group of the mindless robotic drones. Exploding right as it got near, the golem took out the remaining numbers.

Zero stood in the center of the battlefield, surrounded by broken bits and pieces of the Neo Arcadian robots. His hair flowed slowly behind him as he flicked off the Z-Saber, putting both his weapons away. He glanced back toward the girl, who was staring wide eyed at him. Zero walked over to her quietly, and as he got near she crawled back away, obviously stunned by what just happened.

The girl spoke nervously as Zero stood there, staring at her. "H-How…How did you do that so easily?" Zero closed his eyes and spoke calmly. "We should really get out of here. Knowing the Neo Arcadians, they have tracking devices in their troops. They're probably readying reinforcements to look for you." The girl spoke in reply to his statement, "Of course! Look, I really need to get back to the resistance base…" Zero interrupted her, "Then I'll escort you in case there's trouble. I know where the base is, so we won't get lost."

Zero started to walk ahead, but then the girl called after him. "Wait! Could you at least tell me your name?" Zero stopped walking, and glanced back to her. She walked up next to him as he answered her. "You can call me Zero." The girl was startled at hearing this name, but then quickly answered back, holding the cage up against her hip from under the cloak, "Well then you can call me Kiri. Nice to meet ya!" She held out her hand to shake his. Zero looked away from her, starting to walk out toward the base again. Kiri watched him walk off, thinking to herself, _He's the legend that defeated former master X? He probably wasn't known for his manners…_ Kiri chased after Zero, yelling, "Wait for me!"

Zero kept the barrette in a compartment on his hip, continuing his walk through the desert while clutching his torn and tattered cloak around his neck and face. _I will find you soon, Ciel. I won't fail this time._ Zero kept walking deeper into the desert, fighting against the winds.

Author Zero: Hah, sorry if I'm going really slow with every one of my stories... I always start projects and never get finished...I'm _forcing_ myself to continue this for all of you. And...I'd just like to dedicate all my work to the girl I love, Stelle. Love ya baby! "


End file.
